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Home » Tall Hamster Cages – Are They a Good Idea?

Tall Hamster Cages – Are They a Good Idea?

Hamsters are wonderful and beloved pets that make for great, low maintenance companions. And keeping them safely and comfortably secured in a cage is vital for their well-being. A popular option is to go with a tall hamster cage because it seemingly provides more space, which is important to keep them active and healthy.

But is a tall hamster cage the right choice? That’s what we’re going to cover in this article!

The next few sections will cover the best tall hamster cages, whether tall hamster cages are the right option for your furry friend, and more. You can see all the topics we’re going to cover in the next table of contents.

So keep reading and hopefully you’ll leave this article with some newfound knowledge.

Table of Contents

    First, we’ll highlight some options if you’re looking to purchase a tall hamster cage.

    Best Tall Hamster Cages

    If you did a search for “tall hamster cages” you might have been inundated with options from every retailer trying to sell you on a cage. But what’s good and what’s not? That’s why this section is here!

    Here are a few of the best tall hamster cages for your furry friend:

    Prevue Hamster Playhouse

    This 3 story hamster cage from Chewy.com has just about everything your hamster could want in a cage. Tons of space, plenty of places to hide, stairs for easy access, and internal tubes and tunnels to keep them plenty busy in their home.

    You can find it here: https://www.chewy.com/prevue-pet-products-hamster-playhouse/dp/359332

    Prevue Blue Hamster Haven

    Another great and affordable option for your furry friend is the Prevue Blue Hamster Haven, which has multiple stories, plenty of hiding spaces, a unique slide design to help your hamster get from the top to bottom or bottom to top, and more.

    Best of all, it’s super affordable at only $40 on Chewy.com

    You can find it here: https://www.chewy.com/prevue-pet-products-blue-hamster/dp/133494

    5 Floors Blue Hamster Mansion

    Another option is the hamster “mansion” that is 5 floors tall and available on Amazon.com. And it certainly lives up to the mansion title with tons of built-in tubs and tunnels that even let your hamster “leave” their cage and enter it from a different area, plenty of hiding spaces, and built-in wheels and water bottles.

    If you’re looking for a luxury option that is all in one, then this is the tall hamster cage you’ve been looking for.

    You can find it on Amazon.com here for $45: https://www.amazon.com/Large-5-Floors-Hamster-Mansion-Habitat/dp/B08F9HP6WV?th=1

    Are Tall Cages Good for Hamsters?

    The debate over long vs. tall hamster cages has been going on for a while and there are essentially two camps of people. Those who think that tall cages are the better option and those who disagree. And both groups have their merit, so let’s talk about whether tall cages are good for hamsters.

    The overarching point here that everyone can agree on is that the more space for your furry friend, the better. Hamsters need enough space to comfortably explore, stay active, and scratch their curiosity itch while living in what is essentially their own little world.

    Tall cages do often provide more cubic space, but if most of that space isn’t accessible, then it’s not very useful. As a result, tall cages are only the better option if they contain stairs, shelves, and maybe even internal tubes and tunnels to make use of all that extra, vertical space.

    If that space goes unused and you just have “high ceilings” for your hamster, then you’d be better off searching for a different cage.

    One issue with tall cages is that your hamster can injure themselves more easily by climbing up high and jumping off ledges or the top bars of the cage. This is hard to discover before you get them a larger cage, but if you notice your hamster being particularly adventurous, you may want to go with a shorter and longer cage to prevent injury.

    And as always, whenever you introduce your hamster to a new environment, make sure to supervise their behavior for a little while to make sure they aren’t doing anything dangerous or unhealthy.

    Tall cages can be a great option for hamsters, but you need to make sure all that extra vertical space is usable and they aren’t injuring themselves with a little hamster base jumping.

    How Tall Should a Hamster Cage Be?

    When choosing to go with a tall hamster cage, your first question might be about the height of the cage. Just how tall should a hamster cage be to ensure you furry friend doesn’t feel cramped? Well the answer is in the question.

    Your hamster’s cage should be tall enough so your hamster doesn’t feel cramped or suffocated for space. The minimum height is at least 12 inches tall, but if you’re going with a tall cage, it might be 24 inches or even more.

    Generally, the larger the cage the better it is for your hamster. After all, imagine if you were that size and had to live almost your entire life in a small cramped room. That wouldn’t be too enjoyable would it? And it would likely make you stressed, anxious, or even depressed, all of which can be fatal for a hamster.

    How tall should a hamster cage be

    As a result, you want to go with as large of a cage as you can and ideally one that is 2 stories to allow your hamster to explore and scratch that curiosity itch they often have.

    Taller cages allow your hamster to explore, give them more room to run around, climb the bars of the cage, and ultimately burn that energy that they have seemingly endless amounts of.

    Bigger cages also give you more opportunities to add toys and other accessories, such as hammocks. So if you have the option to go with a larger and taller cage, you absolutely should for the well-being of your hamster.

    Do Hamsters Like 2 Level Cages?

    Yes, hamsters like 2 level cages because it gives them more space to explore and different areas to get a view of their surrounding environment.

    Hamsters are generally skittish animals, but they like having the ability to survey their environment when they feel comfortable. If your hamster doesn’t have that opportunity because the sides of their cage are too tall, they can start to feel suffocated and become anxious or stressed, which can detrimental to their health and even fatal.

    Having a 2 level cage can give your hamster a larger environment to explore, more room for important accessories, such as wheels and hammocks, as well as larger bars to climb to burn off that famous hamster energy.

    A single level hamster cage would have to be fairly long to give the same amount of space as a 2 story cage, so keep that in mind when choosing a cage too. Going with 2 stories and that extra vertical space can give your hamster a lot more room while not taking up too much space in your home.

    When deciding to purchase a hamster cage, you should always think of their well-being and what they would like instead of what is convenient for your home or space. A hamster deserves a safe and spacious home to live their life, especially considering they don’t have the freedom to get out as you might have in your life.

    Additional Reading

    Conclusion

    Tall cages can be a great option for your hamster because they provide extra space for your hamster to explore, stay active, and do a little cage climbing. Ultimately, you want to make sure your hamster has enough space to stay active and healthy and taller hamster cages allow that.

    Just make sure that you are going with a hamster cage that makes use of all that extra vertical space. A cage with “high ceilings” isn’t enough. That space needs stairs, shelves, tubes, tunnels, or hammocks to be useful.

    Hopefully this article has given more insight into tall hamster cages and how they can be beneficial for your furry friend!